Language history and speaker history are intimately entwined. The reconstruction of the material culture via etymology as well as migration trajectories via contact linguistics has a long tradition within Indo-European studies. Such reconstructions have often been supplemented by archaeological scenarios. In recent decades, archaeology and the natural sciences have opened new avenues for the reconstruction of prehistorical populations. The task to reassess linguistic findings on the basis of these new insights has already been taken up by many scholars in the field of Indo-European studies. At this Fachtagung, we would like to further the mutual understanding between linguists and non-linguists. Thereby, we hope to continue the dialogue and open up new perspectives for research on the history of Indo-European.
Possible topics for contributions include:
- The comparison of linguistic and extra-linguistic arguments addressing the prehistory of Indo-European-speaking populations;
- Methodological papers on extra-linguistic methods of prehistorical population reconstruction, such as population genetics, archaeology, palaeobotany, climate history, and the history of domestication;
- In line with the tradition of the Fachtagung of the Society for Indo-European Studies, we also welcome papers on purely historical-linguistic subjects.
Informative abstracts (max. 500 words, excluding references) for presentations should be sent to igfachtagung24@unibas.ch by November 1 2023.
Please indicate the title of your talk in the subject line of your mail. The working languages of the conference will be English, French, German, and Italian.
While representing the regular four-year general conference of the Society of Indo-European Studies (Fachtagung), the 2024 meeting also marks the 150th jubilee of the study of Comparative Linguistics at Basel University, for which a chair was first established in 1876, and which has been served by illustrious colleagues such as Misteli, Wackernagel, Sommer, Niedermann, Debrunner, Bloch, and Wachter. Its current integration within the Antiquities department that also features chairs in, among others, Ancient History, Classical Archeology and Prehistorical Archaeology, underlines the aim to integrate linguistic history in other disciplines studying population history.
XVII. Fachtagung der Indogermanischen Gesellschaft 